it's a long road to wisdom
by saltzmans
Summary: "You know, love, twenty years down the line and I really didn't see you in this profession."—In which Caroline is a detective and Klaus plays a dangerous game for a date; klaroline.


**notes** | like everything i write these days, this for my darling elz. you're the alaric to my damon and i love you from the bottom of my heart. thank you so much for everything. i hope you enjoy this mammoth of a one shot!

* * *

She's in Spain when he finds her, working on a case in a house, lost in the dense mass of forestry. The house is old and the rafters are criss-crossed with cobwebs. Light spills from the dusty windows, creating shadows across the police outline body collapsed face town on the floor, a splatter of dry blood scattered across the floorboards.

Occasionally – at times like this, as she stands by a crime scene, sipping a cup of coffee, Caroline Forbes thinks she should be more put out by the whole dead body thing. But then she remembers she's a vampire and she decided a long time ago that she wasn't scared of anything.

Outside, the rest of her team are packing up – police tape being stretched around the perimeter of the house — and it should've been impossible for him to get it but one moment the house is empty and the next there's a low chuckle and he's there.

Looking back on it, Caroline isn't even that surprised. The irritating occurrence of having thousand year old vampire sneak up on oneself has really rather lost it's effect since she left Mystic Falls.

Instead Caroline shoots him a look and takes a sip of her latte as calmly anyone faced by an ambiguous, ancient hybrid would be. It's not particularly that she's scared of Klaus. It's more that she hasn't seen him in ten years – hell, she hasn't seen anyone but Elena in ten years – and seeing someone who had been so close to her old life reappear as if it had only been last week they'd been flirting in the Mystic Grill bothers Caroline.

Klaus smirks at her and it's the kind of smirk which reminds her of days when she was a teenager and believed in true love and her whole world was crumbling around her but everything else was so heartbreakingly still. It's takes a moment for either of them to say anything. Eventually Klaus' smirks grows so smug and infuriating Caroline manages to spit out a, "what the hell are you doing here, Klaus?"

If anything that only seems to widen Klaus' grin and Caroline's hand itches at her side. She never really got the chance to ever slap him in Mystic Falls. But then again, she was weaker in Mystic Falls – she was still open and there weren't hard walls built up around her.

"That's no way to great an old friend, love." Klaus' voice still hasn't lost any of it's exasperatingly polite ring. He could probably kill a man and still make himself sound apologetic as he ripped out their throat. Although, knowing him he probably had.

"We're not friends." Caroline tries to pack as much ice into her voice as she can. "What are you even doing here? Last time I heard you were playing baby daddy in New Orleans."

"You wound me." Klaus runs his fingers along a dusty beam, drawing patterns in the dust, completely ignoring her last question. "I thought we had more than that, sweetheart."

Caroline tries to resist the urge to stamp her foot. God, he has nerve. "We have nothing, Klaus. Now if you're only here to reminisce over the good old days, I'm sadly going to disappoint. Actually, I'm going to have to do disappoint for whatever morbid reason your here. I'm not interested. Maybe we can talk at the next immortal Mystic Falls high school reunion."

"I came to check up on you," Klaus replies.

"You can look at my Facebook," Caroline snaps back, bluntly.

Klaus furrows his brow and Caroline thinks it's ridiculous that a mass murderer can make himself look so pathetic. "I keep tabs on everyone, you know," he says idly. "Stefan and Rebekah are currently living together in London and who was that wolf you used to be so infatuated with? Tyler, that's right. He's hooked up with our old friend Hayley. Again. Seems she rather lost her taste of Originals after her fling with my brother."

Klaus lets loose a half chuckle and Caroline wonders how long it would take him to heal from scalding coffee being tipped over his head. Probably not that long before he was up, running and breaking her neck or something equally violent.

"I don't care," Caroline tells him, refusing to meet his eyes. "I left Mystic Falls for a reason."

"Oh, you don't care?" Klaus kicks at the dust. "Then you wouldn't mind that I could tell you who killed that poor old sod." He indicates towards the body outline and Caroline's standing upright in a heartbeat.

"Tell me, Klaus," she says, trying to put as much of her detective authority into her voice as possible. "Withholding information from the state is a federal crime."

"If I'm honest with you, Caroline," Klaus says, eyeing her carefully. "I never really saw you as this ten years ago – but now I realise it rather suits you, love."

Caroline narrows her eyes. Standing above the recent spot a man just died, she's not in the mood to be flirted at. "Just spit it out already."

Outside the light is fading quickly, and Caroline can see the silhouettes of a team putting up the last of the keep out signs; she knows they will be coming to see where she's got to soon and she's not particularly sure she wants to explain the two thousand year old hybrid who managed to sneak past the security lines.

"Come out to dinner with me," Klaus tells her, his eyes disturbingly sharp. "I'll tell you then."

"What?" Caroline snorts. "Discuss a murder over a bowl of pasta and some pinot noir? This is real life, Klaus, you can't mess around – that man had a family; children, maybe? Don't you think they deserve to know what happened?"

"Your moral views have always amused me, love," Klaus says and to Caroline's annoyance, his face stays unnervingly calm. "But I can give you one hint now – that man doesn't have a family...and if you want to know anything else, I'll be waiting in the town square at eight o'clock–" Klaus pauses, and for a moment something in his face falls but before she can figure out what, his usual wolfish smile is back "–I trust I shall see you there?"

Caroline bites her lip, trying to think up some way to force him to tell her but all of a sudden she feels a breath of wind on her cheek, and the barn is empty; just Caroline and the outline of a dead body.

.

It's five to eight when she finally decides to give in. Caroline's spent the last four hours since returning to her flat, pacing a line through the living room carpet. She's trying to call Elena but her goddamn friend is failing to pick up her phone and the seconds are ticking closer to eight.

In the end she decides to fuck it and go, although Caroline tells herself very sternly that it's because it would be entirely unprofessional to let a lead in such a big case pass up and not because it has anything to do with the fact that there's a rather attractive vampire willing to give her the answers in exchange for a date – something she hasn't embarked on since her disastrous fiasco with Tyler in her early teenager-vampire-years.

Klaus is waiting for her in the square and it's a pretty kind of square – old town-ish, with houses which have shuttered windows and geraniums and lavender in flower boxes on delicately railed balconies. The hybrid is leaning against the fountain centre piece and it's almost bothersome how at ease he looks; like he's just another regular, handsome guy waiting to go on a date with a girl he fancies.

But he's not and Caroline scolds herself disapprovingly for taking a moment to appreciate how lovely Klaus looked in smart-casual.

"Caroline!" Klaus bounds towards her with the enthusiasm of a small puppy and Caroline has to remind herself she's here strictly for business matters only. "I thought you weren't going to come."

"Well, it was for the benefit of the case," she told him. "Purely business."

Klaus grins wolfishly. "Of course, love. Business. And may I add you look ravishing."

"So where are you taking me to share the details of a bloody murder?" Caroline asks, ignoring the compliment and regretting her choice of a short dress.

"There's a lovely café a couple of blocks away," Klaus says, offering her his arm. "Shall we?"

Taking his arm rather like way she'd approach a rabid dog, Caroline stares determinedly ahead. "Lead the way."

.

Much to Caroline's annoyance the café he takes her to is exquisite; a forgotten gem, lost in the maze of cobbled allies and dust fronted shops. Klaus greets the host like old friends and Caroline can't help but wonder if he's compelled them because the small dining area is empty and unmade save for one small table by the window, complete with a checked table cloth, a bottle of something and a vase of flowers.  
Caroline raises an eyebrow but Klaus just smirks back. "I did promise you murder over pasta and a bottle of pinot noir. You know me, love, I do keep my promises."

"Obviously you lack the fundamental understanding of sarcasm," Caroline mutters under her breath but she can't help but feel a little...gratitude; that was it. It has been a long time since anyone had done anything remotely nice for her. It just happens to be a shame that it was Klaus doing it for her.

Klaus shakes his head slightly but leads her over to the table, pulling out her chair. Caroline sits cautiously as Klaus takes his place opposite her. The candle's flame lights up his eyes. Caroline stares at her glass of wine.

"So, now we're here," Klaus says idly. "Wasn't there something about a murder you wanted to know?"

"Right." Caroline shakes her head, trying to get rid of the odd, lazy contentment which has settled over her. "Tell me what you know."

"I'm afraid it's rather more complicated than that, love," Klaus tells her. "It's one big mess you've gotten yourself caught in the middle of."

"Fine," Caroline chews her lip thoughtfully before continuing – she had seen the wolf's mood swings before and if she wanted anything from him she was going to have to play it right. "What was his name? Our guys have been scouring the system for hours but we can't find anything on him."

"That's because there wouldn't be anything on him – he doesn't exist, not officially. He was meant to have died nine hundred years ago years ago. His name is – was – Felix Gemini."

"So, he was a vampire?"

"Not exactly. He used to be – nine hundred years ago – but then, you remember Silas?" Klaus asks.

"Of course," Caroline leant forward eagerly. The case was becoming more twisted and compelling by the second.

"This Felix found a Hunter – a Jeremy Gilbert sort of person if I remember rightly; noble, strong, irritating – and together they managed to piece together enough of the map to find Silas' island and when they did, Felix took the cure."  
Caroline is so enthralled by Klaus' tale, the low lighting creating an air of ambience and mystery, that it takes a moment to remember her own experiences with Silas' island.

"But we had the cure? Well, Rebekah and then you, and then Katherine and Silas and Amara or whatever. How could we have had it if Felix had taken it three hundred years ago?"

"I haven't quite finished, love," Klaus tells her. "Felix did take the cure and did become human, but the Hunter – I think his name was Cain – had a connection with Qetsiyah on the other side and although she had been the one to imprison Silas, she still loved him – that emotion works in funny ways, you know."

"It does," Caroline replies, barely noticing the pasta she was shoveling into her mouth.

"Anyway, this love enraged Qetsiyah and she ordered Cain to kill Felix but preserve every drop of the cure running in his blood within Silas' cave – that's what you found when baby Gilbert died and what Elena forced down her dopplegänger's throat – Felix's blood."

"But then how could we have found Felix's body today? If he died as a human nine hundred years ago?"

"He didn't die," Klaus continues.

"When Cain slit his throat, Felix's body was still in the transition between vampire and human so after Cain left him for the vultures, he awoke but he was neither human or vampire; neither dead or alive. He had one foot in each of the worlds."

"Like Bonnie?" Caroline questions. "When she became the anchor?"

"Not exactly. Felix wasn't actually here – he could choose whether he was seen or not; whether he was in this world or the Other Side – I think the closest word to what you have is ghost. He was immortal and has been every since. Elijah and I encountered him one summer in San Sebastian, not far from here. He told us he was running from someone but at the time I barely took any notice of him – I thought they were the delusional ramblings of a mad man."

"So who killed him?"

"Cain," Klaus replies. "I have knowledge that shortly after he killed Felix he turned himself into a vampire for reasons I'm not aware of."

"Then why did he kill Felix?" Caroline asks.

"Regret?" Klaus shrugs. "A long owed loyalty to Qetsiyah? I don't know but I do know where he's residing right now?"

"Where?" Caroline's fork clatters into her empty bowl.

Klaus smirks and takes a long drink of wine. "I can show you."

.

Caroline is buzzing with the adrenaline which can only be described as the climax of a case as Klaus leads her through the maze of backstreets. The shadows seem darker here; thicker, as if there's something waiting behind the empty shop counters.

"So where exactly is he?" Caroline says, her voice low because talking at a normal tone seems unacceptable in the pressing darkness of the narrow buildings.

"There's a club somewhere along here," Klaus replies, his voice echoing through the night. "Vampire only, very elitist."

"And how exactly do you plan on us getting in?" Caroline asks. "I don't think he'd respond particularly well to us striding in and arresting him."

"We're vampires, love." Klaus turns around to wink at her. "No door is closed to us. Anyway, I think this is us." He points up at a wider building which Caroline assumes to be three houses glued together; one wide – and very well locked looking – door marks its entrance and Caroline can hear the low thud of laughter and music from within.

Klaus' eyes are scouring the upper levels and finally they lock on an open window on the top floor. "We're going to have to climb and then jump," Klaus tells her softly. "Can you do that?"

"I'm not seventeen anymore," Caroline replies and has scaled up two floors before Klaus has had a chance to reply. "You coming?"

Klaus instantly at her side. "I never said you were, love."

When they teach the fourth floor, balancing precariously on the window ledge, Caroline is slightly daunted to see the jump is bigger than she thought but the room behind the window seems thankfully empty. "Eldest first," she murmurs against the lobe of Klaus' ear.

The hybrid stiffens momentarily before replying with his usual cockiness. "Whatever the lady doth wish." Then he jumps and for a moment he's suspended against a backdrop of stars before he tumbles head first into the darkened room.

His head reappears over the edge of the window a moment later. "Haven't got all day, love."

Caroline scowls before pushing off against the ledge; her legs fly wildly trying to find stability on empty air and it looks like she's going to make it but then at the last moment, her momentum falls short and Caroline is falling. Her chins slams into something hard and Caroline hears her jaw dislocate and there's a moment of pain and then terror as she realizes he's going to crash right into the concrete ground but then something's gripping her wrist and Caroline realizes Klaus has caught her mid-fall. She lets out a sigh of relief, wincing at the dull pain in the lower half of her chin.

"Hanging in there, love?" Klaus asks.

"Pull me up!" Caroline shrieks, her legs kicking against empty air.

"Alright, alright. Give me your other arm."

Un-beating heart in her mouth, Caroline swings her other hand up to Klaus. He catches it at the last moment and his hand is rough and calloused as he swings her upwards.

Caroline falls headfirst through the window, landing on something soft.  
It takes her a moment to realise it's Klaus. The next thing she realizes is how goddamn wonderful Klaus smells. Then she realizes that she's lying a breaths width away from a murderous Hybrid. She rolls of him quickly, lying on the floor next to him, trying to regain her breath.

"Right," Caroline props herself up, looking around the room they've landed in. It's empty save for an antique dressing table littered with empty bottles and a rickety bed, shoved against the far wall. "What do we do now?"

"We go downstairs. Find the Hunter. Knock him out. Tie him up. Question him. Not specifically in that order..."

Caroline frowns. "I'm a cop, Klaus," she says. "So that means we have to do things the right way, okay? No vamp-ing out and breaking necks."

"But that's half the fun in these things, love," Klaus pouts pathetically but Caroline can see the edge of his irritating smirk shadowed in his eyes.

"We're doing this the legal way, Klaus; Miranda rights and the like. And if you have a problem with that, you can wait up here," Caroline finishes, standing up and wiping dust of her dress.

"And you think I'm going to do what you say?" Klaus questions and all of a sudden the air between them seems tenser. Caroline curls her nails against the inside of her palms, trying to stop her body from responding.

"I'm not seventeen anymore," Caroline repeats. "I can handle you."

Klaus raises an eyebrow. "Oh really now?"

"Don't try me."

"Fine then." Klaus eyes her as if trying to fit together a particularly difficult jigsaw puzzle. "We'll do this your way. But if my safety – or yours – is threatened, we're changing to mine. Deal?"

Caroline chews her lip. "Fine."

"Well then," Klaus strides over to the door and pauses, his hand on the knob, his vampire-hearing straining for the sound of any approaching enemies. "Everything seems clear. Shall we?"

Ignoring his question, Caroline strides through the open door and into the corridor. Outside, she finds herself on a gallery balcony, looking over into a high ceilinged room lit by flashing strobe lights and packed with people dancing and shouting and drinking and laughing. Under it all a low beat of music pulses through the room.

"Wow," Caroline raises an eyebrow. "For a nine hundred year old vampire, this Cain sure knows how to party."

"After living for nearly a century we do like to have our indulgences," Klaus replies over the roar of music. "Cain is famous for his parties."

"Evidently," Caroline scans the writhing mass of bodies in the room below trying to pinpoint anybody who looked like an evil vampire slayer turned vampire but she can barely pick out individual hair colour in the melee. "But how are we meant to find him here? Does he even come to is own parties? Or is he a Gatsby kind of vamp–"

"No, he'll be here," Klaus muses. "Unlike Jay Gatsby he rather likes all the attention. He'll make himself known. I propose we mingle. See if we can spot any likely candidates. Although I did meet him once I daresay he would have changed his face by now; Cain was always rather paranoid."

"And by mingle you mean...?"

Klaus winks, and extends his arm. "Would you care to dance, Miss Forbes?"

"Seriously? We're in a nightclub."

"And?" Klaus looks down at his hand and raises an eyebrow.

Caroline sighs but there's something about the thump of the music and the way Klaus is looking at her with an intent arc to his face which seems to say "I dare you" so she takes his hand and lets him lead her to the dance floor.

.

Dancing with Klaus is...wild because as tacky and rom-com-ish as it may seem, that's the truth in it. The club, the people, the lights, the music; they all spin past Caroline in a whirl of senses and colours. As the music fades into a light, slow melody, Caroline finds herself with her arms looped around Klaus' neck, his hands pressed lightly against her hips. Around them couples sway in time to the music, heads rested against necks, lips upon lips.

Looking at Klaus, Caroline is suddenly acutely aware of all her senses; of the light pressing of his fingers on her waist; the jaded, almost relaxed look in his eyes which are an unnaturally bright blue under the strobe lighting; the smell of sweat mixed with the edge of spice which radiates off of him; the sound of their breathing heavy and together; the taste of his lips–

Caroline steps back with a start, falling back into the couple behind her who glare at her but Caroline is too bothered by the tingling which is still present through her body and the fact that she enjoyed, even initiated the kiss in the first place.

"No," Caroline's mind is pulsing. Her heart pumping. She's overreacting; of course she is. She's kissed plenty of people before so why is Klaus bothering her so much. Fuck. "I need some air."

"I thought we were on a mission, love," Klaus says nonchalantly, still swaying slightly to the music.

Caroline wants to slap him.

"Yeah, well, that's not what it felt like when you were...kissing me." Caroline spits out the words.

"So what did it feel like then?"

"Are we really doing this now?"  
Caroline snaps. "I don't know if you have unresolved feelings from twenty years ago but let me assure they're not reciprocated."

"I would like to point out you kissed me."

"No. We're not doing this now. We're going to find a murderer and then if you're lucky we can talk."

"A promising offer," Klaus smirks and the urge to hit him grows stronger.

"I'm going to get a drink," Caroline breathes in deeply through her nose.

"You use your hybrid powers to find Cain and then we can get out of here."

"As the lady wishes."

"I hate you," Caroline mutters and as she walks away, she could have sworn she heard Klaus reply "no you don't" but the music is to loud and even if it weren't, Caroline is sure her erratic heartbeat would have broken the words anyway.

.

As she leans against the bar, sipping at a beer, Caroline begins to feel a bit more grounded. The alcohol washes away the taste of Klaus' mouth and she's almost convinced herself that it meant absolutely nothing when the man appears at her side. There's nothing particularly special about him – he's handsome, sure, with a mess of dark hair, stubble and piercingly bright green eyes – but there was also something off about him. Like his face doesn't belong to him. He smiles at Caroline and his teeth are unnaturally bright under the lighting.

"Hey," Caroline's grip tightens on her glass, her gaze scouring the room for Klaus who seems to have vanished. "Can I help you?"

"I was just wondering who you were," the man asks, running his fingers along the edge of the bar towards Caroline's hand. She moves it onto her lap. "I've never seen you before."

"Tourist," Caroline mutters. "It seemed pretty cool so y'know, I wondered in."

"Right." The man smiles. "Except this is an invite only club."

Caroline inhales deeply; her heart beating frantically. Pulling herself together, and reminding herself she was an fucking vampire who could beat the shit out of this man she forces herself to look directly into his eyes and say, "I'm a plus one."

"Oh, who did you come with?" The man asks. "I must remind whoever it was to write your name down on the list next time to avoid all this confusion."

"I–" Caroline wracks her brain for a name, pulling out the first one she can think of. "Damon Salvatore."

The man's expression hardens and as it does, Caroline remembers that Damon Salvatore is probably universally hated by all and in terms of bright ideas probably came just below snogging Klaus Mikealson.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to come with me," the man says and whilst his voice is even, Caroline senses the authoritative order under the polite request.

"I really should find my friend..." Caroline stalls. "He'll be worrying."

"I'm sure he can wait," the man's voice is low. "I wouldn't want to make a scene in my club but you're really rather pressing me for options here."

Caroline blanches, the pieces falling into place. Cain. That's who the man is. A nine hundred year old vampire. Fuck. With a second's warning, Caroline chucks her beer glass at him, relishing the tinkling of broken glass before dashing into the crowd.

People close around her; dancing, shouting, laughing. Her mind is frantic. She has to get out of here. Now. All of a sudden, a path clears in the crowd. She can see a door – an exit! Caroline leaps towards it, using her vampire speed to accelerate her but just a few meters away, a pair of cold hands close around her throat.

Caroline falters and the last thing she sees before the hands snap her neck is Klaus, shouting her name.

.

When she awakes Caroline's senses are immediately hit by the warm summer Spanish air and when her eyes swim into focus, all she can see is a myriad of stars dancing above her. For a moment her breath is taken away and all she can do is stare but then she's bought back down to reality by a harsh slap stinging across her cheek.

"What the fuck?" She spits out glaring at her attacker – Cain – who's leaning against the balcony railing, smiling slightly. To heavily built cronies wielding wooden stakes stand either side of him.

"Miss Forbes," Cain says. "Lovely of you to join us."

"Excuse me? If I remember correctly you're the one who broke my freaking neck!"

"Bygones, Miss Forbes. Remember what they say – you must let them be."

"I think snapping someones neck constitutes as a little more than bygone," Caroline mutters darkly.

"But that's beside the point," Cain smiles and it's wide and more than a little unnatural. "I want to know what you're doing in my club. Specifically what you're doing in my club with Niklaus Mikealson."

"Klaus, is he–"

Cain eyes Caroline. "Obviously your feelings for Mr Mikealson run a little deeper than we thought, Miss Forbes."

"What're you talking about? He's just a friend."

Cain rolls his eyes. "Again, beside the point. Would you like me to repeat my query to you? What. Were. You. Doing. In. My. Club?"

"Sightseeing."

Cain sighs, gesturing with his hand and before Caroline knows what is happening there's a stake centimetres below her heart. She gasps, trying not to move as the wood grazes her weakness.

"I think it'd be in your interests to work with us, Miss Forbes," Cain says amiably, picking at his nail.

"Klaus will kill you," Caroline manages to spit out. Blood is running down her dress; her head light and fuzzy.

"Niklaus has already failed in that department," Cain says, as if wearied by the whole debacle. "Twice, if I remember correctly. Now – my club, why were you in it?"

Caroline winces, staring around the rooftop she was trapped on. The whole cause seemed hopeless. Even if she could manage to get away without the stake embedding itself in her heart, the only exit lies behind Cain and the drop from the rooftop would slow her down before she has time to heal. In other words, she was totally and utterly screwed.

"Fine," Caroline forces herself to look straight at Cain. "Take the stake out and I'll tell you."

Cain's features twist into a snarl. "Not a chance."

The vampire behind Caroline shoves the stake with more force into Caroline's chest. She had to stall him and right now the only possible option she could think of was the truth. "Felix Gemini," she breathes out through gritted teeth. "Why did you kill him?"

Something unrecognizable passes over Cain's face but it's gone within in an instance, replaced with his usual smirk. "Felix," he eyes Caroline. "Why do you want to know?"

"I'm a detective; it's my job."

"In that case," Cain replies. "You can tell whoever needs to know that Felix knew too much so I killed him."

"So you admit to it?" Caroline asks, her heart pumping. There's a recorder in her cardigan pocket – she's taken to carrying it around since an arsonist admitted everything before disappearing off the grid for the next five months. Eventually they did catch the woman – she was called Kate and had a strange French surname – but regardless, Caroline had spent the previous five months bitter that she couldn't have gotten to ordeal over with sooner. But now – if she could just move her elbow enough to switch it on...

"Of course I admit to it! What can your puny human police force do to me?"

Trying her best to maintain a straight face, Caroline jerks her shoulder. It's insignificant enough to be passed off by her kidnappers but it's enough to start the recording.

"So you killed him? You killed Felix Gemini?" Caroline asks.

"What more do you want me to say? I, Cain, killed Felix Gemini. And you know what, that bastard had it coming."

"Okay, okay," Caroline says, her mind whirring; the recording device has given her fresh hope. "How did you kill him then?"

Cain rolls his eyes. "For someone who cavorts with Originals you're rather slow at this. Nature must be–"

"–balanced," Caroline finishes. "Of course, the White Oak Stake."

"Indeed," Cain agrees. "There was a certain rare flower, the juice from which could render an immortal of Felix's form helpless."

Caroline processes the information. She had gotten what she needed to know. Now she just needed to figure out some way of getting off this goddamned rooftop. "So," she says, nonchalantly looking at Cain. "Now we've both gotten answers, can I go?"

"One more thing," Cain says, holding up a finger. "What's your acquaintance with Niklaus?"

Caroline sighs, wincing as the movement causes the stake to grind against the bottom of her heart. "We go way back," she tells him. "He tried to kill like, all my friends, also my boyfriend at the time and still insists on trying to win me over the whole bloody time. Our Facebook status is it's complicated, to put it in short."

"Evidently," Cain regards Caroline. "So you do have feelings for him?"

"What? No!" Caroline tries her best to look appalled. "Well, maybe, but they're not–why am I even telling you this?"

"I've been told I have a very compelling face," Cain winks. "Now, Miss Forbes, I'm afraid our meeting must come to an end."

"You're letting me go?"

"Well, I suppose you could put it like that." Cain nods slightly and there's a second of relief as the stake is pulled out of Caroline's chest but then all of a sudden the stake is hurtling back towards her at an alarming speed and Caroline just knows this time it won't miss its target but then there's a snapping sound and the stake clatters into Caroline's lap.

"What the–?" Cain whirls around trying to find the culprit for the suspension of his bodyguard but in that second, his second crony collapses to the floor.

The wound in her chest rapidly healing, Caroline struggles with her bindings, trying to wriggle her wrist free. Managing to get one hand out, she unites the second knot, leaping out of the chair, wielding the stake at turning wildly back around to face Cain.

Cain who is on his knees in the middle of the rooftop, Klaus' arm wrapped around his neck in a death grip.

"Klaus!" His name escapes Caroline in a moment of relief before being replaced by one of annoyance. "I had this covered!"

"I'm sure you did, love," Klaus replies, winking. "But I'm sure my aid wasn't entirely unhelpful."

"No," Caroline pouts. "But with a bit more time I could have gotten out."

"When you're finished having a bloody moment–" Cain begins, before Klaus' arm tightens around his neck.

"Shut up!" Klaus snaps. "I've still got a few questions for–"

"Klaus!" Caroline screams, just as Cain's free hand reaches up and yanks at Klaus' arm which is holding him hostage. There's a yell as Klaus' shoulder dislocates and Cain stumbles to his feet, plunging his hand into Klaus' chest.

Klaus staggers as Cain's hand tightens around his heart. "Haven't you learnt yet, Mikealson?" Cain sneers. "You. Can't. Kill. Me."

"Well," Klaus manages to gasp out. "It's not like you can kill me either."

"True enough," Cain pauses, staring absently at the stars, before continuing as if greeting an old friend. "But I can make you hurt."

"No!" Before she can fully comprehend what's happening, Caroline's hand is wrapped around the forgotten stake by her side and she's throwing herself at the two vampires. The wood enters Cain's back and Caroline pushes down with all she's got.

Cain falters. His head twisted to see his attacker; mouth opened in a gormless circle. Then he collapses to the floor, face turning grey.

Caroline runs to Klaus, who lies on the paving stones breathing heavily. "Are you okay?"

Klaus looks at her, the edge of a smile appearing on his lips. "I had this covered."

Caroline snorts derisively but can't help smiling back. "I'm sure you did, love."

.

Later – much later – after Caroline has informed her supervisor of the nights happenings, leaving out certain details which mainly revolved around vampires and surviving being stabbed with a wooden stake, she finds herself back at her flat, just as the sun begins to move its way over the horizon.

Klaus is there too – even though Caroline's not entirely sure why – but she doesn't tell him to bugger off; not quite.

"Well, we've had a quite a night," Klaus comments idly, while seated on her sofa and it's strange for Caroline to see him do something so normal.

Caroline collapses down next to him. "Yeah, well, you can say that again."

"I could really do with a drink," Klaus suggests. "I think we rather deserve one, at the very least."

Caroline laughs and it's weird as hell and just a little bit scary because the whole situation seems so ridiculously surreal. "Well, there's half a bottle of champagne in the fridge. Glasses are in the top left hand cupboard."

Surprisingly, Klaus does as she asks, striding off in the direction of the kitchen as if he's lived here all his life. Caroline giggles to herself, deciding to make the most of it. "There're crisps in the pantry and eggs if you fancy making me an omelette."

Still laughing to herself, Caroline closes her eyes and leans against the sofa edge; God, she's tired – almost being killed, going under cover and kissing Klaus Mikealson sure do take a lot from a woman.

Caroline's not entirely sure how long she sleeps for but when she awakes Klaus is back on the sofa, reading the last Hunger Games book, a glass of champagne in his hand.

"What the–" Caroline mumbles sleepily, trying to comprehend the whole ludicrous situation.

"Oh, sleeping beauty awakes," Klaus  
closes his book and hands her another glass of champagne. Caroline takes in blearily. "I didn't want to wake you up so there's omelette for you in the oven?"

"You actually cooked for me?" Caroline asks, not sue whether to be horrified or pleased.

"You did ask," Klaus replies.

"Again, sarcasm," Caroline says, sipping her drink. The alcohol wakes her up a little bit.

"Oh well I'll finish it if you don't want it," Klaus tells her, managing remarkably well to look like a child who's just been told Father Christmas doesn't exist.

"I didn't say that!" Caroline exclaims and then there's a blur of movement as Klaus disappears into the kitchen. Seconds later there's a plate of omelette on her lap and Klaus is siting as if he hadn't moved.

"So," Caroline says through a mouthful of food. "You're still here and you're piling me alcohol and bloody delicious food — what do you want?"

"Maybe I'm just being nice," Klaus says experimentally. "I am, you know, in between stealing children's toys and killing puppies."

It takes Caroline a moment to realise he's joking and a smile forces it's way onto her lips. "Really?"

"Your lack of faith wounds me," Klaus says, feigning mock horror. "But there was one small matter I wanted to discuss. You know–" Klaus taps his lips with his fingers, shooting Caroline a wink.

Caroline throws a pillow at him but away from the club and Cain and the pounding music she's had time to think about the kiss properly. About how it made her feel and they were good kinds of feelings. Ones which made her feel carefree and seventeen all over again. Ones which made her feel happy again.

So Caroline lets her body make the decision for her.

Kissing Klaus – properly kissing him – is like falling apart and coming together all at once; it's like living and dying and breathing and choking, rolled up into one big Hybrid who's lips taste like salt and omelette and champagne and just a little bit like the forests in the town Caroline ran away from all those years ago.

Kissing Klaus is like being free.

When they finally break apart, Caroline's head is light and she's half aware of the stupid smile stretched across her face. Klaus is looking at her as if he's never seen anything like her before and it's all Caroline can do not to lean over and kiss him again.

"Right," Caroline runs a hand through her already raggedy hair, trying to level her breathing. "I've got to have a shower because then I need to write up a goddamn report trying to think up ways around the existence of vampires in a nurse investigation."

"Sounds enthralling," Klaus murmurs, his hands tracing patterns across Caroline's ankles, moving up her legs. "Especially the shower. Mind if I join you?"

"No!" Caroline leaps up, playfully kicking Klaus. "I need a clear head for this."

Klaus stands up to wrapping his arms around Caroline's waist, pulling her closer until she can count every freckle across his face. "And showering with me won't clear?" He asks, lips moving across the lobe of Caroline's ear.

"Yes! I mean no! Maybe? Yes. NO!" Reluctantly Caroline pulls away. "See what I mean?"

"Not at all," Klaus replies, capturing her lips again and kissing her until she is weak at the knees, her head swimming.

"I hate you," Caroline whispers when the break away.

"No you don't," he replies and this time his reply echoes above the roar of Caroline's heartbeat and she decides that it could be just a little – tiny – bit true

.

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